CQUK smears/streaks issue prevention and fix

[FSportIS]

I had smears/streaks issues with CQUK in my first application and upon fixing it with the advices from both Corey and Zach, I learn in and out how to work this CQUK out now. I believe some of you have similar problems so hopefully this will help you out as well.

Smear/streak will look something like this, it can be seen under certain angle and lighting.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7645/16794348637_e0408923e6_b.jpg

This is an example of how perfect application look like. look at that reflection! White mirror vs. real mirror :)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7608/16903796616_cb85d9820c_b.jpg

Prevention:
1. If you are in hot weather together with low humidity (i.e. CA, Florida type of weather), the CQUK will flash/dry very quickly. Mine flash/dry within 10-20 seconds at 80+ F degree and 25-50% humidity. Therefore, you have to wipe on and wipe off almost immediately without any wait time! The higher and lower humidity, the sooner you have to buff it off.

2. Same condition as (1), work in a smaller area at a time such as dividing 2 doors into 3 sections.

3. Use 1 side of the applicator on 1 section only and flip to another side for another section. 1 4x4 suede applicator should only be used on 2 sections.

4. Fold the 16x16 suede towels twice so you will have 8 squares of buffing area with 4 on each side, for 1 section, use 2 squares to do initial buff, and then another 2 squares for 2nd buff. Therefore, 1 16x16 suede towels will be able to handle 2 sections and you will need as many as 10 suede towels per car.

5. Use 16x24 BOA towels to do a final buff.

6. Have good lightning condition and double check to ensure no smear and highspot under various angles.

7. Based on my experience, I disagree with Carpro instruction on applying 2nd coat after 1 hour. Doing this will re-activate the 1st coat and you end up having one very thick coat instead of really having 2 coats. Also, I had smearing problems regardless what technique I use when I put on my 2nd coat in some area after just 1 hour. Therefore, I suggest that you let the 1st coat completely cure which is after 7 days. Wash it, Eraser next, and then apply 2nd coat. I topped 2nd coat like this in some area and it turns out flawless.

8. You should NOT need Reload if you can ensure your car will not be wet within the first 24 hours such as being inside the garage. Reload have streak issue on its own especially in high humidity weather so the less variable you have to deal with, the less headache you will have.

9. If you decide to do 2 coats, do not put Reload in before each coat.

Point 7, 8, and 9 might be controversy but I'm sharing with what actually worked based on my unique situations.

Fix:
Light polish the area that has smear/streak and re-apply CQUK. I used Meguairs M205 with LC Black Pad and it took me 3-4 sections pass to remove it.

Again, I hope Carpro can make a Cquartz for HOT weather such as CQuartz California (CQCA)--something that has LONGER flash/dry time which makes some people life easier lol. CQCA please!

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2 layers of CQUK on my Lexus IS250 2012 here:
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7653/16903796956_0abd701812_b.jpg

Disclaimer: I'm NOT a professional detailer. I share these findings based on my personal experience as a weekend detailer with my own cars.

[Dr_Pain]

Awesome write up! I actually think they do have a CQCA LOL! It is called CQuartz Classic. CQUK was developed for those cold and humid climate like you find in the UK ;) Classic does have a longer work time, although the reformulation requires to wipe off in about 5 minutes (compared to the older version where you could leave it for 45 minutes)

[Corey]

Excellent writeup! I appreciate you sharing your experiences and techniques! Some very good points in here as well!

[DARK HORSE]

Great documentation, thank you for sharing your process! And I agree with Dr. P, you may want to look at CQ Original next time. It will give you a little more work time.

[FSportIS]

Thanks a lot Corey and Zach for helping me out! Thanks Dr Pain and Dark Horse for your compliment. I should have bought the Cquartz Classic :(. I bought total of 80 ml of CQUK for coating 3 cars. I finished 2 now and still have about 25 ml left.

I also think that Carpro should advice people to buy the 10 packs of the 16x16 suede towels for the buffing off coating process. I think many newbies including me thought the kit is all we need but we actually need a lot more towels to buff off.

IME, the entire kit should contain 10 4x4 suede applicator and 10 16x16 suede towels and the instruction should be updated to include more information on the buffing process. This way newbies will not make the same mistakes that they did.

[FSportIS]

I just updated the post with some pictures.

[Avi@CP]

The Cquartz classic is made for hot countries, it react slower and gives you more time to apply, Cquartz was updated as well at 2014 and has same % of silica like CQUK
your tips are good and thank you for sharing them here,
about the kit, we give with the product the basics need for applying. normally 4 small suede's should be enough for applying average car, for wipe off we cant supply in the kit more than 1 mf, we take in mind that a detailing enthusiastic should have his own MF's, you are using here a pro coating product even if its sold to DIY , customers who use any coatings should check first more how to use it .
like you did and now posted to all here, ( thanks for that). HTH

[bigmitch]

Getting ready to apply some CQUK this weekend to my sons black Solara. It's already been polished with Scholl XXL and Reflect and wiped clean with Eraser. Question I have is the temp should be around a high of 78 and around 45% humidity. I have the 2014 CQUK and was wondering if I should do a wipe on wipe off or wait a little while before wiping off. I have 30ml and as long as I have enough left over I want to double coat the hood, front bumper, roof and trunk. Should I wait a couple of days before applying the second coat. The car is in the garage and will stay that way as my son is currently going to tech school in the Navy and I won't be taking him the car until the end of May. I don't plan on applying Reload until I done with the 2nd coat as not worried about the car getting wet. Any pointers and info would be greatly appreciated before I start this endeavor. I do have plenty of suede towels to apply and wipe off and BOA's. Thanks in advance for your help.

[FSportIS]

Getting ready to apply some CQUK this weekend to my sons black Solara. It's already been polished with Scholl XXL and Reflect and wiped clean with Eraser. Question I have is the temp should be around a high of 78 and around 45% humidity. I have the 2014 CQUK and was wondering if I should do a wipe on wipe off or wait a little while before wiping off. I have 30ml and as long as I have enough left over I want to double coat the hood, front bumper, roof and trunk. Should I wait a couple of days before applying the second coat. The car is in the garage and will stay that way as my son is currently going to tech school in the Navy and I won't be taking him the car until the end of May. I don't plan on applying Reload until I done with the 2nd coat as not worried about the car getting wet. Any pointers and info would be greatly appreciated before I start this endeavor. I do have plenty of suede towels to apply and wipe off and BOA's. Thanks in advance for your help.

With that temp and humidity, it is very similar to my situation. I would advice you wipe on, SPREAD the products FAST and cover the area completely and wipe off immediately (1-2 mins). If it has some drag, it is already too late and you will have smear and streak.

From my experience, for second coat, you should wait the first coat to be completely cured which take about 7 days. For second coat, you wash with reset, followed by Eraser, and then coat. Do NOT polish in your 2nd coat application.

I find it a lot smoother without Reload until my Cquartz UK has been cured. Reload has streak problem on its own and you probably don't want to add more trouble to a already difficult process lol. However, if it is raining the next day, you need to have Reload to protect the coating during the first 24 hours after application.

[HUMP DIESEL]

So what I am gathering from the post for me in South Carolina, is that I should be applying Classic on vehicles that do not want Finest. We get 90 degree days with 90+% humidity.

HUMP

[SameGuy]

It's still relatively cool here (48° and showers today). I wasn't aware Classic 2014 has the same solids as UK so I ordered a 30 ml UK kit this week to slap two coats on my just-refinished summer rims as well as on my DD's paint. I do have two 30 ml Classics here, bought late 2014, so it's good to know I can use them in the summer with confidence.

[DARK HORSE]

So what I am gathering from the post for me in South Carolina, is that I should be applying Classic on vehicles that do not want Finest. We get 90 degree days with 90+% humidity.

HUMP

In the summer my temp/humidity is very comparable. I mainly install either Finest or Original. UK is also ok, just be sure to work in smaller sections and wipe it on and off quickly before it becomes grabby.

[jon]

Hi, I am glad I have registered here.
Three days ago I wiped on a coat of ceramic. Most of the car is flawless thank goodness. I have a few steaks and dark blotches. I have one rough spot. I read the first post and I would appreciate some feedback responses in order to affirm what my next steps should be. I have more coating. I have polish, compound, clay, Scratch X, I have an orbital. I would be most grateful. Thanks. Regards, jon
114511461147

[The Guz]

Those are high spots where the coating was not leveled during wipe off. You need to polish those areas and reapply.

[jon]

Those are high spots where the coating was not leveled during wipe off. You need to polish those areas and reapply.

Thank you Guz for clarifying. Nice car by the way. The manufacturer also got back to me. They recommended I use 2000-2500 grit paper to remove the coating and re-apply. In the meantime I tried polishing compound with an orbital, and also a little scratch X by hand, but there was little change. I will try the grit paper. I have 600 which is very smooth. I can't imagine 2000-2500. I will update a post after

[The Guz]

Thank you Guz for clarifying. Nice car by the way. The manufacturer also got back to me. They recommended I use 2000-2500 grit paper to remove the coating and re-apply. In the meantime I tried polishing compound with an orbital, and also a little scratch X by hand, but there was little change. I will try the grit paper. I have 600 which is very smooth. I can't imagine 2000-2500. I will update a post after

What coating was actually used?

The only coating I know of that needs sanding is GTechniq Ultra or Ceramic Pro. Cquartz can be polished off.

[jon]

What coating was actually used?

The only coating I know of that needs sanding is GTechniq Ultra or Ceramic Pro. Cquartz can be polished off.

Thanks Guz, here is the box. What do you think?
11481149

[The Guz]

Thanks Guz, here is the box. What do you think?
11481149

Unfortunately that is not a Cquartz coating. Cquartz coatings can be polished off. Without first hand knowledge I can not comment on how to effectively remove this coating.

[jon]

Hi Guz,
I believe this product is Silicon Carbide.
Here is a link to the website and some very interesting product information. I am interested in your thoughts about this. Thanks, jon


https://www.nanotechsurfacesolutions.com/

[jon]

Hi Guz,
I believe this product is Silicon Carbide.
Here is a link to the website and some very interesting product information. I am interested in your thoughts about this. Thanks, jon


https://www.nanotechsurfacesolutions.com/


Hi Guz,

The manufacturer responded and I then looked it up. Here is the response, "The main functional materials are nano size silica and titanium."

I am searching for titanium silicon oxide protective coatings which are a family of ceramic coatings.

[DSO89]

What coating was actually used?

The only coating I know of that needs sanding is GTechniq Ultra or Ceramic Pro. Cquartz can be polished off.

Guz, why wet sanding for gtechniq and ceramic pro and why only polish for cquartz?

[The Guz]

Guz, why wet sanding for gtechniq and ceramic pro and why only polish for cquartz?

That is just how those coatings are designed for the professional. The GTechniq consumer coatings can be polished off just like the consumer versions of Cquartz. A pro will have chime in about the pro offerings.